County Jobless Rate Falls

Palm Beach County`s unemployment rate dropped last month as joblessness declined throughout South Florida and for the state overall, employment officials reported Thursday.

The county`s unemployment rate fell to a preliminary 5.1 percent in May, compared with a revised 6.1 percent in April and 6.2 percent for May 1984, state officials said.

Services including eating and drinking establishments in Palm Beach County lost 1,700 jobs from April to May, reflecting seasonal factors. About 600 construction jobs were eliminated from month to month, while government employment gained 200 jobs and the manufacturing and transportation sections showed no change.

Meanwhile, Broward County`s May jobless rate dropped to its lowest in nearly five years. A preliminary unemployment rate of 4 percent was posted for May, the lowest since 3.2 percent in December 1980, officials reported. Last month`s rate compares to a revised 5.1 percent for April and 4.9 percent for May 1984.

Despite job cutbacks at some manufacturers and seasonal employers, South Florida`s total available labor force declined from April to May as many workers left the area to find jobs up North, said John Teimeyer with Job Service of Florida in Tallahassee. So the number of workers without jobs declined, as did the overall unemployment rate.

Dade County`s unemployment rate fell to a preliminary 5.9 percent last month, compared with 7.6 percent a year earlier and a revised 7.7 percent for April.

Florida`s economy continued to show strength as joblessness slid to a seasonally adjusted 5.2 percent in May from a revised 6.7 percent the previous month. In May 1984, it was 6.4 percent. Unemployment rates for counties are unadjusted statistics.

Nationally, little improvement in unemployment was seen. Although May`s seasonally adjusted 7.3 percent rate was slightly lower than the 7.5 percent in May 1984, last month`s jobless level was unchanged from April.